Police Brutality Watch

Marietta police were cleared of any wrongdoing in the
September death of 19-year-old Paul Johnson, according to a report
released Monday. Johnson died Sept. 21 after he fought with three
officers at the Glenbrooke Apartments. According to the report,
released by Marietta Police Chief Bobby Moody following an
investigation by the Cobb County district attorney, Cobb medical
examiner and police internal affairs unit, Johnson died in custody when
his heart went out of rhythm. Johnson had an enlarged heart, cocaine in
his system and was under stress because of the fight, according to the
report, and any of those factors could have led to his death. Moody
said the force used by police to subdue Johnson, who was listed as at
least 6 foot 3 and 250 pounds in an incident report, was justified and
the officers involved have returned to duty. Johnson's mother, Dawn
Jackson, reacted angrily to the report. "He didn't have no heart
condition. That's just a coverup," she said. "They killed my son. They
beat him up and killed him. They're not going to get away with this."
Earle Burke, Jackson's Atlanta-based attorney, said he will ask the
U.S. Justice Department to investigate whether Johnson's civil rights
were violated and said that any legal action the family might take
would await an independent autopsy he is having conducted. "I'm a
little surprised and concerned they might have reached a conclusion
without talking to several witnesses they had in custody who we spoke
to who gave us a completely different story," Burke said, "including
possibly the beating, punching and kicking of Mr. Jackson after he'd
been subdued." [more ]